Karwaan (2018) – Movie Review

Karwaan is a road-trip comedy-drama film written and directed by debutant Akarsh Khurana.

The film follows Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan), a working IT professional in Bangalore, who is dissatisfied with his job. One night, he receives a call from a travel agency, which informs him about his father’s death in a road accident, and that the body will be despatched to him. He receives the body, but soon he realizes that it is not his father’s, and the deliveries of the two bodies have been mistaken. Then, he seeks the help of his friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan) to travel to Kochi to exchange the corpses. And, on the way, a cheerful and lively teenager Tanya (Mithila Palkar) joins them.

It is a film, which you can play at any time and it will set your mood right. The film’s tone is light and maintained throughout its runtime. The film has the situational comedy poured all over it. It is Irrfan’s second last film. And, seeing him in a comedy role is such a delight. The performances by all three leads are grounded and subtle. It is the Bollywood debut of Dulquer Salmaan. The film explores the characters nicely and gives a proper arc to them from the start to the end of the film. Along with the comedy, the film has its emotional moments, which helps you connect to the characters, and join them in their journey. And make you reflect on life as well.

Verdict : I watched this film, when it came out in 2018, but missed writing about it. In a lockdown, this week, I watched it again. And, I must say that the film is still refreshing to watch which makes you feel light and happy.